And so the Cracks Begin to Form
by the wrecker
Summary: A snap-shot into what early life might have been life for the two sons of Odin in the great city of Asgard. Children are fickle. Thor always gets what he wants and Loki feels the sting. Every Single Time. One Shot.


**AN:** A snap-shot into what early life might have been life for the two sons of Odin in the great city of Asgard. Children are fickle. Thor always gets what he wants and Loki feels the sting every single time.

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 _"When he heard his father call out for Abel and he saw his borther go forth, it made him feel like he was nothing. He couldn't even say that he felt like Cain anymore. One could not feel like Cain because it had no flavor. Cain was the absence of flavor. Cain was like saliva or a Wednesday."_

 _Jonathan Goldstein, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bible!_

The courtyard that sat between the Great Castle of Asgard and the lush, green fields of the West Mountains was a quaint yet large space, made of solid, buttercup yellow brick that the Sun illuminated, and was filled with tall, leafy green trees of different types - orange, apple, lemon. Assorted flowers bloomed everywhere, dousing the brick in a frenzy of colours and deep red and green ivy trellised the stone. The sound of children's laughter was added to the lulling gush of water, flowing from an ornate, white marble fountain in the centre of the symmetrical space. The fountain was made up of delicately carved people – every known ruler of Asgard so far. Of course there were many, and the fountain was a towering affair, over 20 feet high and rising.

It was break time, around 11 am for the noble school children of Asgard. All came from high class families – not because there was a strong class divide in Asgard, but because the King, Odin's own sons went to this school and it was necessary that they were kept safe and brought up well. School was compulsory for all Asgardian noble children until the age of 18, when they may either follow their parents into their trades, or choose their own. For one of King Odin's sons, his fate was already sealed. The two were but months apart and so Odin had not yet named his successor.

"Bet I can climb to the top." A boy's voice, already so confident, boomed out, causing the other 20 or so children to stare at him.

"Bet you can't." Another young boy's voice, taller and leaner than the first, challenged back. Of course, the second boy, Fandral, challenged in jest. He did not truly believe that Thor, the first sandy haired boy, could make it. Then again, Thor was Odin's son…and Fandral as well as his best friends, Hogun, a quiet Chinese boy, Volstagg, half giant and the tallest of the bunch already, and Sif, Volstagg's sister - who had clearly inherited all the good looks of the gene pool - were anxious to see if Thor would do it. It was a dangerous task, but they were but thirteen years old and far too reckless to believe in danger.

"Brother." This voice, though clearly a child's, sounded much beyond its years. Where this boy had dark hair, green eyes and alabaster skin, his brother, Thor, was blonde, with striking blue eyes and sun kissed skin.

Thor rolled his eyes and smirked. "You can't stop me Loki." He said, turning to face his little brother, who was 2 inches shorter.

"I wasn't trying to stop you Thor. Just wanted to tell you to be careful." The boy said shyly, looking at his older brother through thick lashes. No one would have ever recognised them as brothers, but they loved each other dearly. Thor grinned, and ruffled his brother's hair.

"Always am, Lo!"

Loki bristled at the nickname. "Remember, mother will have my hide if you get hurt!" Loki was always the responsible one, the thinker. Thor was the do-er, full of reckless abandon and restless energy.

"What's the bet?" A clear, high pitched voice sounded through the hustle of children who all turned to face a copper skinned little girl, blue-black hair tamed in a long plait. Her honey coloured eyes glistened with a mischievous spark. No one would have expected this doe eyed, innocent looking thing to want to be a warrior any more than they expected it of Sif. Both girls were born of nobility, and their upbringing demanded they be well groomed, well educated, and most of all, ladylike. They both, though they were young, managed this to a certain degree, but there was a wild spirit in the two girls that not only bonded them together, but also instilled in them a deep longing to be more than just pretty faces.

"A kiss. You - " Fandral pointed his slim index finger at the dark haired girl – "Have to kiss him." He pointed at Thor who smirked. Athena Xavier was, by noble standards a good catch and her calibre of birth meant she could marry well. Her parents, father a well respected Healer, and her mother, one of the only women to sit on Odin's personal council, meant that they instilled the idea of education and hard work in their daughter, rather than the easy option of marrying well for wealth, like some other parents wanted for their daughters.

But it was good to keep their options open, and though she did not know it, her parents, and Odin himself had agreed on a match between Callista and one of his sons. Which one, was to be decided in time.

"Fine." Athena agreed surprisingly, without batting an eyelid, she surprised even herself. She did not like Thor much. He was arrogant and silly, and she far preferred his sweet, unassuming brother. Her eyes met Loki's and they both blushed. "But only because I'm sure he will not be able to do it." She smiled shyly at Loki, letting him know that statement was meant for him. He smiled back widely and she took a few more paces towards him, her finely woven gold robe reflecting the sunlight and dazzling him almost as much as her perfect smile.

"Oh I'll make it alright." Thor vowed. He didn't particularly want to kiss her, she ran amok with the boys and he hadn't really thought about her as anything more than a friend he didn't mind fighting with and messing around with, which basically made her a boy. But even he couldn't deny Athena was one of the prettiest girls he'd ever seen, and even if he didn't enjoy it, he'd love to brag about it.

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Athena's dark skin paled a little. She cast a worried look at Loki, almost to say sorry. He met her forlorn look with a sad smile. Though he loved his brother, Thor always go everything he wanted, and Loki was used to Thor taking what Loki wanted too. He supposed Athena would be no different.

He found he couldn't drag his eyes away as his big brother hopped down, soaking wet from the fountain, jaunty grin on his face as he advanced on Athena, whose heart beat sped up rapidly. Thor was very handsome. The only reason she didn't want to kiss him was because the only person she wanted to kiss was Loki, and whilst he was advancing on her, she managed to convince herself that that was a terrible reason for not wanting to kiss someone.

Thor's lips were full and pink, his cheeks were flushed and his smile was very attractive. So she let him kiss her. It was short, and she didn't really feel anything, but then again, she'd never really kissed anyone before. It was over quickly and before she knew it, Thor was being pounced on by their friends and the whole thing was forgotten. She found herself laughing along with them, and congratulating Thor, whom she had marginally less animosity towards now. He was always easy going and she appreciated that about him greatly. She did not notice Loki slip away.


End file.
